Dead zone fire sparks officials and residents to demand action

Casey Prtichard

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer demanded Verizon speed up completion of its new cell tower following a fire on Oneida Street in Utica, according to a statement from his office.

Just a little over a year ago, Schumer stood with local residents, elected officials, and business owners on Oneida Street at Ridgewood Plaza, publicly calling on Verizon to fix the dead zone in South Utica and neighboring New Hartford.

Majority Leader of the United States Senate Charles E. Schumer stands with his letter to Verizon at Ridgewood Market in South Utica on Friday, April 7, 2023. Schumer publicly called on Verizon to investigate and fix the "dead zone" where phone service drops.
Majority Leader of the United States Senate Charles E. Schumer stands with his letter to Verizon at Ridgewood Market in South Utica on Friday, April 7, 2023. Schumer publicly called on Verizon to investigate and fix the "dead zone" where phone service drops.

On Thursday, a fire broke out behind Ridgewood Plaza, damaging a number of businesses. Among them was Vanity Hair and Beauty Parlor, 2514 Oneida St. Owner Dakota Schaff said the fire damaged her salon and that while everyone was OK, no one could reach 911 because of the lack of cell service.

“Over a year ago, we had [Schumer] come to the plaza and demand that something be done about the lack of reception,” she wrote on Facebook. “[And we] had an actual emergency and had no way to contact help.”

Not moving quickly enough

Schumer’s office said though major work will begin next week on the cell tower site, Verizon has not been moving quickly enough to address this public safety threat.

“This fire should be a wake-up call for Verizon of the dangers of these dead zones and spur them to quickly complete the urgently-needed new tower now under construction,” Schumer said in a statement. “While I appreciate Verizon heeding calls last year and beginning construction of a new cell tower, we need progress now to get cell service to South Uticans and adjacent New Hartford residents. Nobody should ever be put in harm’s way because they can’t call 911 because of a cell phone dead zone. This is a fixable problem, and Verizon needs to deliver for the community like they promised they would.”

The new cell tower began construction last July in New Hartford and will mitigate coverage issues for South Uticans, residents of New Hartford, and drivers traveling along Oneida Street, officials said.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Fire at Ridgewood Plaza sparks demand for action

Advertisement